When James Hawkins Sr., then 59, dropped them off for a play date at a female relative's house in September 2010, both broke their oath of silence.

Issis Hawkins, one of the defendant's adult daughters, testified that she had noticed behavior changes in the half-sisters, then 10 and 14, so she and other adult female relatives decided to talk to them separately.

"They were acting weird," the 27-year-old woman told jurors. "You can tell when something's wrong with a child. They may not always speak up."

She said the older girl grew quiet and began to cry.

"She felt afraid to say something," Issis said. "I told her, ‘You're a child. No one is supposed to put hands on you.'"

The 14-year-old confided that James Hawkins Sr. had raped her, the defendant's daughter testified.

When Issis Hawkins later questioned the 10-year-old, she also said she had been raped several times by Issis' father.

"She started crying, embarrassed to say something," Issis told jurors. "She broke down. It was released off her chest. She held it in for so long."

Her father was scheduled to pick the sisters up, but Issis said: "They weren't going to go back!"

She called police.

Memphis police officer Jermaine Simpson told jurors he could see that both girls were upset and didn't want to go with Hawkins.

When Hawkins arrived at Issis' apartment complex, the officer told him he would have to leave without the girls.

During his opening statements, the prosecutor said that after jurors hear the evidence this week, "You'll be certain they were raped." He then turned to point at Hawkins, "and you'll be certain they were raped by that man."

Ballin told jurors that by pleading not guilty, his client "has told you he has not done these things."

"It's important, ladies and gentlemen, that emotions be checked at the door," Ballin said. "Rapes go unreported and some that are reported didn't happen."

Hawkins, owner of Southaven's Hawkins & Sons Tree and Lawn Service, is the father of death row inmate James Hawkins Jr., convicted in the 2008 stabbing and strangulation of his girlfriend, who had confronted him about her suspicions that he was sexually abusing their 12-year-old daughter. Hawkins then forced his daughter to help him dismember the victim, including cutting off her head with a circular saw.

Hawkins Sr., of South Memphis, also faces more trials, with three more female relatives saying he raped them when they were juveniles. Jurors at this week's trial won't be told of the other allegations.

If convicted, Hawkins faces an automatic sentence of 25 years in prison with no chance of parole.